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Saturday, March 12, 2011

Chicken Gyros/OPA!!!

This is the spark that set off the food blog. On one of those days, when I wanted a really fancy dinner, with specially fitted studio lights switched on and company china set out on the table. And forks and knives. The kind of meal that starts with a piece of Feta and ends with dainty helpings of mint chai.

So I cooked all evening. Chicken Gyros, the souvlaki-type Grecian kebabs. Whole wheat Pita bread. Tzatziki. Hummus. And yes, mint chai. Feeling extremely pleased with myself and not having had enough gratitude/raves from the family, I put up pictures on Facebook. It's embarrassingly narcissistic, but that is what I did. So many kind, kind people said so many kind, kind things, and a month or so later, I had enough material for a food blog. It's been almost three months since this has been up and running, and what better way to celebrate it than to return to the root of it all?

This is how Tzatziki should really look like. The one on the older post wasn't
thick enough.

Chicken Gyros is one of the most fuss-free kebabs I've ever made. It's incredibly light, minimal and full of the flavour profiles I so adore. It doesn't go rubbery on you, it's hard to under-cook it, you can make it in a skillet over the stove top, but if you have an impressive piece of grilling equipment, you're in for a real treat.

Rub the marinade into the chicken pieces. Cover with cling film/lid and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. The oven setting should be on Broil/Grill. If you don't have those options go with Bake. If you don't have an oven, use a non-stick skillet, and pan-fry the pieces.

It gets done quite fast. Make sure the chicken pieces are of the same size so they cook evenly. Try a piece to see if it's cooked. Don't discard the juice.

Let it rest in the juice for 5 minutes. Sprinkle some more oregano, salt/pepper if needed.

Heat the pita bread for a minute or two in the oven. Serve with tzatziki, tomatoes, onions and extra lemon juice.

Get everyone to make pita pockets or pita wraps (a little risky though if you've made limited portions, and your family does not believe in portion control). Get somebody else to brew the mint tea. Get somebody else to pick up dessert. You won't have trouble with any of the above (except the portion control), after the meal.